A Circle of Support is a concept that some parents have used with their child that has Autism. The Circle fulfills different needs at different times in the child’s life. It can collapse and another one start or some people’s circle evolves.
Children with Autism need a group of people to help in a variety of ways. This group of people is sometimes called a Circle of Support. The group can be a formal group that meets on a regular basis. It might be a group that is less formal and does not ever really meet.
This group of people may include paid people in a child with Autism’s life and unpaid people. Ideally the unpaid people out number the paid people but this is not always so in the beginning. That issue may be one that the group decides to work on.
In the beginning when a child with a disability is young, the adults may start the group. It may be a parent or a teacher. The idea is to find three or four other children in that age group and invite them to help the child with Autism. If this little group meets on a weekly basis they can talk about what needs to be done.
The meeting can be as short as 30 minutes. Of course the parent may want to invite children in the neighborhood to be part of the group. Whether parent or teacher the typical children’s parents should be consulted first.
As the child with Autism becomes a teenager and adult the group will change. It may collapse and another group can be started. The circle also can restart, even with new members. Some of these members may be co workers, employers, church members, etc.
Each member of the group at any age should be expected to help in whatever way they can. Some members will provide moral support to the child with Autism. Some members will organize the group. Some members will actually go, see, and do when they are able. As people say, “It’s all good!” and needed in this type of arrangement.
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Mylinda Elliott is the parent of five children. The third of the five has Autism which was diagnosed early on. The fourth of the five children has Aspergers. She is a self taught expert on Autism Spectrum Disorders. Mylinda Elliott has also worked professionally in the disability world for the past fifteen years. She is considered the “Go To” woman for advice or resources on disabilities.
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